


Family

by rk_deviant_800



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of Death, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Snowstorms, carl is dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 18:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17986163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rk_deviant_800/pseuds/rk_deviant_800
Summary: Or five times Hank was there for Connor and the Jericho crew then One time they were there for Hank.





	Family

From a distance, the Jericho Crew watched as Connor and Hank happily chatted. Hank had come to drop off Connor for the day before heading to work. The Jericho crew each had their own opinions of humans. They were still a bit wary around Hank but if Connor trusted him, then it didn’t hurt them to give him a chance. To them, Hank was a mystery. Connor may have told them as much as he could about him without it being too personal but there was still a lot they had to learn. To them he might be nothing more than the lieutenant become guardian to Connor, but deep down he’s more than that. They’ll know sooner or later.

 

 

**Markus**

“Con? I’m home, kid! Oh.”

Hank toed his shoes off and gave Sumo a pat as he was greeted by the sight of none other than the deviant leader himself. He was sat on the couch with Connor beside him, face buried in his hands as he quietly sobbed. Deciding not to interfere, he greeted Connor with a nod and made his way to the kitchen. He fixed himself a glass of water and sat at the kitchen table. He let himself be lost in his thoughts until a hand squeezed his shoulder. Looking up, he came face to face. He finished the last of his water and set his glass down.

“Yeah, kid?” he asked,

“I have to go get a few things from the store. Could you please keep an eye on Markus? He’s been through a lot.” Connor answered.

“Sure. Be careful out there, son.”

“Of course, Hank.”

With that, Connor quietly slipped out the house. It was now just Hank, Markus, and Sumo. It was quiet for a moment with the only sounds being the light rain outside and the ticking of the clock on the wall. Hank remained in his seat at the kitchen table, eyes glancing over to Markus now and then. To Hank it was odd to see the leader so vulnerable and weak. He never saw him cry before. This was the same leader who spoke while humans pointed guns at his head and left bullet wounds in his chest. A few more moments of silence passed before Hank decided to move from the kitchen. He said nothing as he ambled into the living area and sat on the other end of the kitchen. Quietly, he commanded the tv on and kept the volume low as some random cartoon began playing. Markus glanced up for a moment and caught sight of Hank but said nothing and turned to stare at the tv, his hands moving to rest on his lap. More moments of silence passed before Hank decided to say something.

“Hey, you alright?” he asked lamely.

Markus shook his head with a sigh.

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.” Hank added.

“Carl’s gone and…he’s not coming back.” Markus mumbled, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.

Hank never met Carl personally, but Connor had told him about the painter. He understood Markus’s paint. The leader had looked up to Carl as a father. To lose him after only such a short life together had hurt Markus so much. Hank knew how that felt. After all, his time with Cole was short too. With a tentative hand, he squeezed the leader’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Markus.” he answered.

“What am I going to do without him?” Markus muttered back.

For a second, Hank had a moment of déjà vu because he said the same thing about Cole.

“I’m sure he’d want you to keep living and being strong. It hurts, I know. I’ve been through loss too. But you’ll have to move on eventually.” Hank answered.

Markus then finally looked at him, mismatched eyes brimming with tears.

“Y-You’ve lost someone?” Markus asked.

Hank nodded and grabbed Cole’s picture off of the end-table.

“I lost my son. He…was only six.” Hank answered, heart suddenly growing a bit heavy with a pang of grief.

His eyes lingered on the boy’s innocent smile.

“He must have been a nice boy.” Markus commented, scooting closer to get a better look.

“He was. Always smiled and laughed.” Hank answered, his thumb brushing the kid’s picture.

He then set the photo back on the table before settling on the couch once more. It was silent again for a moment before Hank broke it again.

“Listen, I know I can’t replace him but…if you ever need someone to talk to or just a shoulder to cry on, I’m here whenever you need me.” Hank offered.

Markus sniffled and moved so he was leaning on Hank, his head resting on the man’s shoulders. At first Hank was surprised by the sudden shift then shrugged it off and threw a comforting arm over the leader’s shoulders.

“I’d like that, Hank. Thank you.” Markus answered, wiping his own tears away.

“You’re welcome, kid.”

They said nothing to each other after that and just spent the time watching tv. Two hours passed before Markus fell asleep, exhausted from crying all morning.  Hank remained awake and kept watch. When Connor got home, he sent him a tiny smile and put a finger to his lips, gesturing to the sleeping leader.

 

 

**North**

When Hank heard that a Jericho leader was kidnapped, he didn’t think that it would be North. He knows how tough she is. He knows she can hold her own almost as well as Connor can. As soon as he and Connor were assigned the case, he began working on it with him. There was something in him that told him to find her no matter what the cost. Several sleepless nights later and they managed to find where she was being kept-an old abandoned warehouse at the docks. As he and Connor pulled up to the place with several other officers, they could hear angry yet pained screams. Hank wasted no time and charged into the place with Connor at his side while barking orders at the rest of the officers. Chaos immediately unfolded as Hank busted the door down. Several of the criminals tried fleeing only to be shot down or cornered. Connor took care of the main leader of the group while Hank made his way to North. She was currently huddled in the corner, ropes tied tightly around her and a gag in her mouth. She pressed herself further into the corner as Hank neared her.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. It’s me. It’s Hank. I’m going to help you out of here, ok?” Hank assured, moving slowly and carefully.

North slowly let herself relax and nodded, letting Hank undo her ropes and gag. As she stood up, she wobbled and nearly fell only to be caught by Hank.

“Easy, kid. I got you.” Hank said, helping her stand.

“T-Thanks, Anderson.” North rasped, voicebox fizzling out from being overused.

Hank nodded and began leading her out of the building. When they came out, a technician waited for them. Connor joined them as the last of the criminals were taken away. Hank hand her to the technician and turned to leave when North grabbed his arm.

“I…” she started but looked away.

Hank said nothing and sat down with her while the technician began repairs. Neither of them spoke for a moment and watched the officers milling about. Connor stood nearby, keep watch of the scene.

“Why are humans…why do they have to be like this?” North asked quietly, breaking the silence.

“Because they choose to. It’s why every generation is shittier than the last.” Hank answered.

“You said there were good humans. How come I haven’t met any?”

“Well, they’re hard to find especially with how fucked this world is.”

“Oh.”

North’s free hand then moved to squeeze Hank’s shoulder as she looked up at him.

“Well, I think you’re a good human.” North admits.

“I wouldn’t say so.” Hank shoots back, shame and guilt flashing in his eyes for a moment.

“Nah. You’re good, Anderson. If Connor trusts you, then maybe I can trust you too.”

Hank smiles at that and the conversation ended there. And as the technician finished up with the last of the repairs, the rest of the Jericho leaders pull up to the scene. Josh is first out the car followed by the other two. Immediately, North threw herself in Josh’s arms, letting herself cry for a bit. Hank watched as Josh comforted her while the others interfaced her. While Josh and Simon worked to calm her down, Markus pulled back and nodded his thanks to Hank. Hank nodded back and watched as Markus returned to helping North. Once she finally calmed down, the group began leading her away. But she stopped walking. She turned on her heel and stumbled towards Hank, pulling him into a hug. Hank was startled for a bit. He knew her opinion on humans and to hug one was a big step for them both. He then returned the hug.

“Thank you.” North whispered, head against his chest listening to his heartbeat.

The rest of the Jericho crew watched on in stunned silence.

“You’re welcome, kid.” Hank answered.

When North pulled back, she had tears in her eyes. With gentle hands, he wiped her tears.

“Take care of yourself, ok?” he said, smiling at her.

“I will, Hank.” she answered, beaming at him.

With that, she ran back to her group and climbed into the car as she waved goodbye to Hank. As they pulled away from the scene, North replayed the conversation they shared earlier. It was short but it gave her the closure she needed about humans. It comforted her knowing that there was at least one good human she knew could trust now. After all, no one has ever trusted her up until Hank. And if he can do that, then that’s enough for her.

 

 

**Simon**

He’s nervous. He’s so nervous he’s shaking. He and the rest of the leaders are about to go on live TV with the president. THE PRESIDENT. His breathing becomes heavy and his stress levels were steadily rising. He paced about the small hotel room that he and the others were staying in for the time being. So many worst-case scenarios flooded his mind. He could only see himself stuttering and messing up. He had told himself that he was doing this for Markus but the fear of embarrassing himself overpowered that. Meanwhile, Hank and Connor stood outside the door. They had come along as security. Well, Hank was security and Connor was there to assist with negotiations.

“Hank? I’m going to see how the others are doing. I’ll be right back” Connor said, LED flashing yellow as he communicated with the crew via telepathy.

Hank nodded and let him go. He remained outside the door when he heard ragged heavy breathing.

“Hey, you alright in there?” he called without moving from his post.

No answer.

Worry flashed in his eyes as he turned and knocked on the door.

“Hello?” Hank tried again.

Still no answer.

Sighing, he prepared himself for the worst and opened the door.

“I’m coming in!” Hank called as he entered.

He shut the door behind and caught sight of Simon pacing back and forth. He knew that look in his eyes. Despite the missing LED, he knew what was happening to the android. He’d seen it with Connor before and he knew just what to do. He slowly approached Simon and stilled his pacing.

“I’m going to mess up. They’ll be embarrassed!” Simon muttered, eyes wide with worry.

“Simon, right? I need you to match my breathing.” Hank answered instead, starting a pattern for him to follow.

Simon blinked and slowly followed. He could now hear Hank’s voice and the assurances he was giving him.

“That’s it. Keep doing that.” Hank supplied, helping Simon sit down at the foot of the bed.

He sat beside him and continued to help Simon through. When he was sure he was calm enough, he stopped the pattern.

“Are you alright now?” he asked, checking him over for any self-induced injuries.

“I’m ok. Thank you, Hank.” Simon answered, checking his stress levels.

They were still a bit high but not as much before Hank came in.

“So, what’s got you freaking out?” Hank asked.

“I’m just nervous about going on tv is all. What if I mess it up? What if I embarrass everybody?” Simon babbled.

His breathing was picking up again and he was lightly shaking. Hank gently grabbed him by the shoulders again, starting the breathing pattern.

“Breathe with me. Look, I may not know shit about going on tv, but I do know the constant fear of fucking up and making a fool of myself. I’ve been through it plenty of times. And I’m not just talking about my job as a cop. What I’m saying is, that you can do this. Besides, you won’t be by yourself out there. Your buddies will be with you.” he assured.

“Yeah. T-They will be.” Simon answered, a tiny smile growing on his face.

“And I’m pretty sure you’ve been through worse, considering the uh, events of the revolution. Live TV is nothing compared to that.” Hank added with chuckle.

Simon thought about it for a moment. Hank was right. The revolution was far worse. He’d seen people get hurt, beaten, and die. He watched Jericho explode. He nearly lost Markus several times. Going on live TV was nothing more than a slap on the wrist. He cracked a smile at that comforting thought.

“You’re right, Hank. Thank you for helping me see that.” Simon answered, beaming up at him.

With that, Simon gave him a quick hug and the two left the hotel room together. And when Simon was up there with his friend as they were live, his eyes flickered to Hank who gave him a thumbs up for reassurance. Simon found it felt nice to have someone who understood his silly fear of embarrassment.

 

 

**Josh**

“I’ll be home soon, Con.”

Hank said his goodbye and ended his conversation with Connor. He had been out the whole day doing errands and strolling through the city. Connor had insisted he go exercise and get some fresh air. Hank only meant to hang around at the Ambassador Bridge, but he got bored and wandered into the city. Before he knew it, he had paid for a few overdue bills and grabbed a coffee. When he was done with that, he threw his coffee away and began walking down the street to where he left his car. He was halfway there when the sounds of sneers and cries caught his attention. He looked up to see a small group of anti-android protestors ganging on one of the Jericho leaders. He recognized him as Josh. And he knew Josh was a pacifist. Said pacifist was currently trying and failing to talk them down.

“Hey!” he called out, crossing the street.

The protestors looked up.

“Back away or I’ll have you all thrown in jail for harassment.”

“Tch, whatever old man.” said one of the protestors.

Hank flashed his badge.

“I’m not fucking around. Go. Now!” he retorted.

He watched smugly as the protestors scattered and left, muttering insults underneath their breaths. Josh sighed in relief as the last one left. Hank slipped his badge away and looked Josh over for injuries.

“Are you alright, Josh?” he asked, spotting the red LED.

“Just shaken up. I was so sure they were going to hurt me.” Josh answered.

Hank tentatively reached out and squeezed his shoulder in comfort.

“It’s ok. They’re gone now. But, how did you get into that mess in the first place.” he asked.

“I was just walking home from visiting a friend and they started mocking me. I tried to ignore it, but they closed in on me and cornered me.” Josh answered, fiddling with sleeve of his sweater.

“Ah. Hm, I’ll tell you what. Why don’t I give you a ride back to your place? It’s much safer than walking alone.” Hank offered in return.

“Oh! I’d like that. Thank you, Hank.”

So the two of them got in Hank’s car and began heading to where the Jericho crew resided- the Manfred Residence. The ride home was filled with chatting about books, music, and other random topics that Hank could think of. By the time Hank pulled up to the large mansion, Josh had cheered up and forgotten the whole ordeal with the protestors. His LED returned to a calm blue. With a smile, he hopped out of the car and thanked Hank before disappearing behind the gates. He might not have won over all of the humans’ favor but at least Hank was there. Now he understood why Connor trusted him.

 

 

**Connor**

Today’s weather forecast saw a heavy snowstorm rolling into Detroit. That meant a possibility of being snowed in. And Connor hated it. He hated everything about snow. Thanks, Amanda, for ruining that. As the snowstorm closed in on Detroit, Connor had bought extra food and supplies should they get snowed in and the power be cut off. Once he got home, he stocked the cabinets and prepared all the supplies. He took note where each one went should he need them later. An hour passed before Hank joined him. He had gone out to get firewood for the fireplace. He came in grumbling about the cold weather.

“Welcome home, Hank.” Connor greeted as placed the last of the supplies in the kitchen cabinet.

“Hey, son. Did you get all the supplies we needed?” Hank asked in return.

Connor nodded and shut the cabinet door.

“I’ve also purchased extra food. I hope it’s enough.” Connor answered.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Hank shot back.

He shrugged his winterwear off along with his boots and moved to set the firewood near the fireplace. He picked one up and tossed it into the fireplace, starting up the flames and warming up the house. Sumo immediately flopped nearby and fell fast asleep. Hank chuckled and scratched the dog’s head before moving to settle on the couch.

“Connor can you check the weather for me?”

Connor nodded and his LED flashed yellow for a moment.

“The storm’s almost here, Hank.” Connor answered.

“Guess we better brace ourselves.”

Connor said nothing more and started Hank’s dinner. He was halfway done with making dinner when the storm arrived, and the sound of the howling wind picked up. Connor could hear it screaming in his ear. His LED switched and began flashing red. Memories of the Zen garden flickered. He blinked them away and finished making Hank’s dinner before the wind picked up again and made him stop in his tracks.

“Hank…” Connor started.

“The storm?” Hank finished.

Connor nodded and Hank got up, moving about to shut the curtains. The curtains were thick enough muffle most of the wind. The only sound now was the crackling of the fire and the faint music from the record player that Connor turned on earlier. Connor’s LED then flickered to yellow.

“Thank you, Hank.”

“No problem, kid. Go hang out with Sumo. I’ll handle the dishes.” Hank answered with a small smile.

Connor nodded and moved to curl up beside Sumo, waiting for Hank to finish so they could settle on the couch. Connor didn’t have to wait long. Before he knew it, he and Hank were fast asleep on the couch with Sumo between. The snowstorm roared on outside, but Connor felt safe with Hank and Connor.

 

* * *

 

**Hank**

The Jericho crew had come over for the night. Connor had decided to celebrate winning new rights by having a simple sleep over. They had played games and ate thirium-based snacks. Currently they were marathoning movie after movie. Hank found his old collection and had gone through, each of them finding what they wanted to watch. Currently, they were on the second movie. It was North’s choice. Halfway into the movie, Hank started falling asleep. He managed to wake himself up long enough to get up. He bid the others goodnight and headed to his room. He could hear their laughter filtering into his room and chuckled at that before getting in bed and falling asleep.

_He opened his eyes to see an empty gray void. In front of him stood a shadowy figure, holding puppet strings. Hanging onto those strings were Connor and Cole. Cole had been horribly mangled. Connor was stained in blue._

_“Dad…why…you let me die.” the puppets rasped, Connor’s head lolling to the side._

_“Your…fault.” Connor whispered._

_“N-No! I-I... I didn’t mean…” Hank stammered._

_“Hurts! It…hurts! Make…Make it…stop!” both puppets screeched._

_The sound of a car squealing and glass breaking resounded loudly over and over. Gunshots followed it. The Connor puppet cried endlessly while the Cole puppet screamed and screamed._

_“Your fault…”_

_“Mistake…”_

_“Let him…die…”_

_The whispers grew louder, and Hank clutched at his head as he began screaming out apologies._

_“I’m sorry! P-Please! I never meant to! I tried to save you!” he cried out._

“No! No!”

Connor looked up from the movie.

“Something wrong, Connor?” Simon asked.

Before could answer, Hank cried out again from his room. Connor quickly paused the movie and stood up as Sumo raced to the bedroom. The St. Bernard barked and pawed at the door. Connor moved quickly and the Jericho crew followed behind. He threw the door open and found Hank thrashing wildly on his bed. Connor approached first and began shaking awake.

“Hank. Hank! Wake up! It’s ok! It’s not real!” he called, grabbing his arms gently before the lieutenant could swing at him.

Simon decided to join in and help. He walked to other side of Hank and began calling out for him, gentle hands shaking him awake as well.

“Hank, it’s ok. You’re ok. Whatever you’re seeing is not real.” Simon added.

Markus and Josh approached next and called out to him too. North lingered by the door for a moment before joining them. With each call, Hank’s thrashing slowed until he stopped and blinked his eyes open. He looked around before pulling Connor into a hug.

“I-I’m so sorry, Con. I wasn’t there to save you. I…”

And then Hank broke down into tears. Connor shushed him and held him tight.

“It’s ok, Hank. I’m right here. I’m not hurt. It’s not your fault.” Connor assured.

Meanwhile, Simon rubbed circles on Hank’s back. Josh had started a breathing pattern for Hank to catch onto. Markus left and returned with a glass of water, handing it to Hank and wiping away his tears. North squeezed his shoulder now and then, humming a soft lullaby to distract him. When Hank had calmed down, he looked up to see several faces look at him in concern.

“You all really care about me?” he whispered.

“Of course, Hank. You’ve done so much for us. Let us help you for once.” Markus answered.

“I still don’t get what I did to deserve you all. Let alone Connor.”

“Hank, you know the answer. You saved me. You showed me a better path. If you think about it, you’re the real reason we won our freedom.” Connor answered.

“Yes. If you never pushed Connor to deviate, he would have gone down a darker path.” Markus added.

“Still, I’ve fucked up so much. Why are you all still here?”

“Because you were the only who treated us like family when we needed one.” Connor answered.

“Because you gave me your shoulder to cry on and offered yourself for comfort and to talk.” Markus added.

“Because you saved me and showed me trust when I needed it.” said North,

“Because you understood me and gave me confidence.” said Simon.

“Because you pulled me out of a fight and looked out for me.” said Josh.

Without warning, Hank was pulled into a hug with several arms wrapped around him. Hank couldn’t help but hug back. The nightmare he had vanished from his memory. He then broke the hug and sniffled as Connor wiped his tears away. The empty glass he’d been holding was set on the bedside table. He laid back in bed.

“Hey, uh, can I…ask for a favor? It might be weird.” Hank started, fiddling with the blanket.

“What is it, Hank?” Connor chimed in.

“Can…Can you all uh, stay with me? I…I don’t want to be alone.”

The five looked at each other then nodded at Hank. Connor shut the door and joined Hank on one side. Simon took the other side with Markus behind him. North and Josh squeezed in beside Connor. Hank pulled up the blankets around them all and wrapped one arm around Connor, the other thrown around Simon.

“Thanks.” he said, drifting off to sleep.

“Of course, Hank.”

“Goodnight, Hank.”

“Sleep well, Hank.”

“Sweet dreams.”

“We’re right here if you need us.”

**_Hank_ ** _^ Family_


End file.
